When choosing a power supply for your electronics application, pay close attention to its input voltage range. Sounds obvious, but engineers often forget to consider the possible range of input voltages their product will see in the real world. The result can be a reduction in the lifecycle of the power supply.
Our linear power supplies are known for their reliability, with a very conservative mean time between failure (MTBF) specification of at least 710,000 hours when run within an input voltage range that spans ±10 volts from nominal. But these supplies can last far longer than that if they run at the lower end of this input voltage range.
For example, a power supply designed to work at 220 Vac will operate within a range between 210 and 230 Vac. Consistently operating at the lower end of that range will keep your power supplies cooler and increase their lifespan substantially.
It’s not uncommon to see at least a 25 percent improvement in power supply lifecycle by operating at the low end of the acceptable input voltage range.
At the same time, consistently running the power supply at the high end of its input voltage range will keep it from reaching its maximum lifecycle potential, even though it will still meet the published MTBF spec.
Bottom line is that cooler power supplies will run longer than hotter ones. And one way to turn down the heat is to pick supplies so that operate at the lowest possible point on their input voltage range.
